Ok I made an account here hoping I could find some help seeing as this is a Volvo forum.

I have an 05 XC90 V8 which has had a check engine light for a while now.
First time I went to the dealer they weren't much help because the battery was bad and I had to replace it (which they wanted $250 for but I went elsewhere for $110 less). I went back recently and they said they would charge me around $100 and something in order to diagnose and troubleshoot any error codes they found. Fast forward a few hours and they cannot find anything wrong and everything appears to be working properly. The car needs an update to the brake module and I'll be good to go. A few minutes later they say the module is up to date so that's not an issue. They send me home telling me they cannot find anything wrong but that something is definitely wrong and my light will more than likely come back (which it did that same night).

I'm going back soon but I was wondering if there's anything I should mention to these people to give them an idea of what to look for?
They told me to bring the car back and leave it with them all day next time.

 

A basic OBD-2 code reader is under a $100. You could pick one up and find out what codes are any time you want. I believe Autozone or Advance will scan your car for free. It wouldn't hurt to have that done, could be something easy like a bad gas cap...

 

I figured the dealer could give me a more comprehensive overview of any codes/issues but apparently they find nothing when checking and it just comes back down to "come back again".

 

I second the suggestion of getting your own scanner. Part of the problem with the codes that come and go is that when you finally bring it to any mechanic, the code may disappear. I have actually ordered a OBD code reader as I want to have that handy if / when I get the CEL or other messages.

Personally, as with everything else, you may want to consider getting a second opinion elsewhere. Even though I am a new Volvo owner, I have had a car for a while (old Sentra), and been to the dealership and had them pull all sorts of fast ones on me, including the diagnostic which turns up nothing but I owe them $90.

My old Sentra was serviced by a third party mechanic who has been excellent. There were times when I felt that the dealership was about to try to run me through the routine when I decided to go to my non-dealership mechanic, who gave me the straight goods (exactly what is wrong, what needs to be fixed now, what doesn't or what can wait). With my new (older) Volvo, I will not bring it to a dealership but I already am forming a relationship with a guy who is a friend of the colleague who sold me my Volvo - and my colleague's friend is a Volvo mechanic and even he has told me to steer away from the dealership. Always get a second opinion from a recommended third party mechanic who you trust or who is recommended by others. Just my humble two cents.

 

Basic readers won't read all fault codes. It sounds like whoever worked on the car is either an idiot, or afraid to diagnose it.

If the check engine light is on, there are fault codes stored. Pretty simple. I have seen techs who are afraid of diagnostic work so they clear codes and send the car out.

As for the usual dealership trash talk, not all independent shops are that great. I have seen many, many cars royally hacked up by some indy shop.

 

Went back today and they said my fuel pump regulator is what came up when diagnosed so they will replace it for $600 (which seems steep imo) but luckily it's covered under an extended warranty that was purchased on the vehicle

Unsure why this didn't come up last week I was there with the light on as well, oh well

 

for future autozone etc. will scan codes for free. the dealer does have diagnostics with more specific codes but even generic obd 2 scanner is very useful and works on all 1996+ cars.

 

Probably had a different tech look at it who knew what he was doing.

 

Here's an update;

Took the car today to have the part replaced.
Was suppose to take a few hours and then I finally receive a call they basically messed up some parts disassembling something in the engine and the car will have to stay til Monday/Tuesday.
No offer to give me a loaner car or anything despite being an hour away from home with no transportation.

Oh, they're also billing me for the parts needed (they claim around $20) that I wouldn't have needed in the first place had they not messed it up to begin with!

 

Things break, it happens. We can't quote a price for every single part that is touched to get to a certain part just in case they break.

 

There are different ways this can happen.

1) The tech is a gorilla who breaks a perfectly good part in the process of fixing something else.
2) One of the (probably many) parts that have to be removed / relocated to get to the main problem was either already broken, or weakened to the point of not being able to withstand the stress of removal. On cars of this vintage, it happens all the time, and yeah - they probably had to order it.

The OP mentioned that this was being covered by an extended warranty. He should probably take up any problems with lack of a loaner car with the extended warranty provider, not the shop. If the warranty covered a loaner, he should get one - if not, there's always the bus... ;-)

 

Can anyone recommend a good Check Engine Light reader (that I can buy off Amazon or somewhere) for a 2006 XC90? My mother's SUV CEL came on and she asked me for assistance. Before I take it to a shop it would be great to know what the fault is.
I've searched on Amazon but figured it would be good to hear from a member who actually has one and recommends it

Thanks in advance.

 

Mine is over a decade old, so I won't recommend a specific one as there are tons of newer ones out there that I am not familiar with.

A cheap generic OBD-2 code reader combined with google can tell you a lot, as there are a lot of codes that are generic to all vehicles. When I say "a lot", it is giving you something like a P and four digit number. That is something you can plug into an internet search with the specific vehicle and find the common reasons that you would get a code like that. So, you have to do some of the work yourself.

I am new to Volvos, bought my 2005 2.5 liter XC90 this past Oct, then in Dec I had a check engine light. My code reader did not find any codes, I found it odd that I had a check engine light with no codes. But turned off the light and went on my way. Since then I have had a few occasions with a code that tells me my engine temperature or sensor is not right, which I already suspected as it appears to be running cooler than normal.